Finally a well-aimed shot hits the Mite, the shaft sticking out of his waist. Yet still, the monster keeps on his feet, looking near his death though.
Xanda throws yet another glob of chemystic acid.
While Xanda conjures forth another globe of acid, willing it towards the small fey (unable to hit it though), Agerron makes his way over many Mite bodies and around the still unconscious Big Ern to come close to the still fighting Mite leader.
When he is in position, Michael thinks his target sufficiently distracted and tries another swing:
Finally his aim is true, with the Mite still focussing on Branomonrik, he strikes down the Leader, leaving him to bleed on the floor.
The remaining disabled Mite still alive is much easier delt with and now no serious threat is left in the Mite's lair.
Silence starts to settle, interrupted only be the soft sound of moving vermin in the ceiling and along the walls, the gentle wheezing of Big Ern and your own hard breathing and the blood rushing in your ears.
"I don't know what's worse....the Mites or the bugs..." Xanda mumbles. She sighs,
"Well, lets get the big guy back on his feet and then lets get out of this hole." She looks around at every one else.
"To the victors go the spoils," Agerron says. "Didn't you all come here for some stupid statue? No need to let whatever loot is here go to waste." He begins searching the bodies of the dead fey, starting with the leader.
He looks to Xanda. "And it might be good to see if there's any magic here, if you have the ability."
Xanda shakes her head at Agerron's question,
"My powers are more...physically directed. Arcane to attack and defend, I am sorry." She says, though of course she still looks around to help find things.
"Well know, that looks interesting..." She says as maybe something catches her eye.
Queslin continues to explore the mite warrens to make sure there are no more enemies.
Perception
Besides the clothing the Mite leader has two daggers on his body, as well as the nice looking short sword, all fitted to his small stature. A pouch with some coins and gems rounds up his possesions.
The other Mites have even fewer things worth salvaging. Most of them have one or two knives they used to attack, and some coins. A handful of bows rounds up their wealth at hand.
It takes Xanda to find a hidden sack of cloth behind a large root to get some more out of the lair. In it, 4 flasks and a polished wooden stick are bundled with an ivory statuette, some fistsized glittering rocks and some more coins and small gems.
Of the 4 flasks, two look identical, being a green translucent bottle, etched with two humanoid shapes, one larger and superimposing the other. From the other two potions, one is in a clay bottle painted silvery, the other is a clear glass flask, containing a honey-like (in color and fluidity) fluid.
The ivory statuette depicts a crouching horned devil and is finely crafted to show several details on the 5inches high piece.
Wandering through the caves of the lair, Queslin looks at every corner, in search of more enemies, but the only things left living are normal insects, unable to seriously hurt the group of explorers.
Once everything has been gathered Xanda looks at the still prone Ern.
"Can we heal hi enough to wake him?" She says, now having second thoughts about trying to move the large fellow after the adrenalin of battle has faded from her.
"I want to get out of this hole and definitely bathe..." She sighs, wiping a dirty arm across an equally dirty face.
Big Ern farts in his sleep.
"We should try to revive the dwarf priest first. He may have some healing stuff left."
"Sooo I dont suppose anyone is willing to let Ern remain out cold and just carry him with us?"
"Are you volunteering? I'm no clean freak, but after traveling with him for the past day or two, I'd rather not have him that close, frankly."
Xanda sighs, "Honestly, at the moment? I think I'm worse than Ern is..." She indicates her bug and dirt matted and encrusted hair and clothing.
"Lets get something happening. I don't want to stay this way...though what Ern does is up to him..." She finishes with a mutter.
"So, we rig up some wood and ropes and haul him that way?" She suggests. "Can anyone help the Priest, perhaps?" She looks at her companions.
"Why not just make camp. Bran will probably feel right at home underground and Ern is well... Anyway, I figure we could probably all use the rest anyway."
"Do we have what we have been after? Sigh gather round the injured." He says Looking over the injured. "Oh Mighty Adabar, send your limitless power into these poor, broken and flawed vessels. Heal them oh law giver, so they may do your will upon this untamed land!" With that Branomonrik channels Adabars power into the group.
Channel
I'm now a full, before leveling.
I still suggest we camp and head out tomorrow. We are not in the best condition to get into another scrap.
The Kobold straped to Xanda's back slowly comes to consciousnes again, looking around stupefied as to how he got into this position.
"Um..? *cough* Wha..?"
Looking around a bit more, he notices the dead Mites and Centipedes.
"They dead? You kill all Mite? I sleep? No fight? draconic: common: You find kobold god draconic: " Kardok asks going from wondering to gloomy to anxious.
At the Kobold's awakening Xanda puts the carry back down and helps him out of it. Xanda tries to re-assure the Kobold.
She then moves to show the weird statue they've found amongst the Mite's left overs.
"Is this...'Old Sharptooth...?" She asks, trying to remember what the Kobold had described before.
Big Ern rubs his head and looks at the heap of dead mites & bugs. "Oh man, that must have been some party. Thanks for your 'healing hands', Beardo and Killer! Now let's get out of this smelly s@&~hole and do something else. I assume you sacked the place for loot, of course."
I seem to have been mistaken. Let's go do something with this kobold.
Kardok gets really excited at the sight of the statuette and quickly grabs it (with only minimal cautiousnes), then licks over the ivory things feet.
Climbing out of the lair, you see the chopped wood still burning and smoldering around the trunk of the big tree. The Old Sycamore's bark glimms at places, but the tree itself hasn't really caught fire yet.
Coming up from the grim work below you remember that it was late afternoon when most of you came to the tree after a long ride, or after some hours of chopping wood. It is evening now, the sun is about to set, on this Oathday, Pharast 11th.
In the end, you decide to stay the night close to the fire around the tree.
Nothing worth mentioning happens during the following night, and you awake refreshed to a new day that looks pretty sunny.
-----------------
-----------------
"Seems like fate's brought us back together for the time being. We should head back to Oleg's to fully rest and gain some more credits for our spoils. Then you can return your 'friend' back to his tribe. Maybe they'll be willing to make peace after all, wit their statue back. Or not."
Xanda stretches once above ground,
"Any where, as long as there is a bath" She says emphatically, rubbing absently at her dirt covered arms.
"It should also give me a chance to see if I can see any magic auras." She comments.
Made aware of the plan, Kardok would rather leave the group of explorers and return to his tribe alone, than go with them all the way north to Oleg's.
"I bring Old Sharptooth back to Chief Scootscale, so that the tribe doesn't have that bad luck anymore, and no more Kobolds die. I will tell the chief about the situation with the radishes and how you killed our enemies to remedy that.
If you let me bring back those rocks as well, (the Mites stole those of us as well, but they are not that important, we find them all the time) I'm sure the chief will be pleased."
Michael is with Agerron, as far as riding back to Oleg's is the plan.
-------------
Devlin:
If the others decide to ride back north on the 12th, they stumble into you riding along the countryside on the 13th.
If they don't ride north, you map about a quarter of the next hex (depending on your rolls and such) and realize that you are in the wrong place.
"We should take this one back to his people" Queslin says indicating Kardock. [b]"And we need to figure out what these items are.
Big Ern rolls his eyes at the thought of sucking up to a bunch of kobolds, but he keeps his mouth shut for now.
"How far is it to your tribes home?" Xanda will ask (Both in common and Draconic).
"If it's not too far, then a smaller amount of exploring shouldn't hurt." She explains
"Besides, we might find a stream to bathe in..." She adds quietly to herself.
Branomonrik Gets near Ern and Agerron ."The Kobolds will be useful in the long term" he says in a low tone "Or they will be pest that need removed." He shrugs "Either way Adabars will is served'
He does nod at Queslin "Aye, I think we need to see this alliance is done. One way or the other. I say we escort him back home"
Appraise
Appraise
"Not far Kobolds. I can walk there and arrive just after noon. But you don't need to come. I can do that... come home with our god, tell tales of our fine and final battle with the Mites..." Kardok speaks to Xanda.
After letting the positive energy of Abadar wash over the injured, Branomonrik takes the rocks and gems, looking them over thoroughly.
He finds that the rocks originate from a silver-vein, but it's hard to tell how much they would be worth. The gems on the other hand are rather easy to put values to.
- 1 fire opal: 1100gp
- 2 golden yellow topaz: 525gp + 600gp
- 3 amethyst: 120gp + 135gp + 170gp
- 5 clear quartz: 350gp total
- some hematite and obsidian, worth in total 185gp
"Hey, someone ask the kobold if he wants us to give these gems back. Cause it'll be a cold day in hell when that happens, I promise you that. Those other rocks, I don't care about."
Big Ern takes his own assessment of the "rocks", to double-check that they're not worth much.
Appraise:
Know (nature):
Xanda frowns a little at Ern's comments and ideals. She wishes Kardok well in his triumphant return to his tribe. Then stands,
"Well, where to next? And does it have a bath?" She asks.
"Well if it is no longer your prisoner, I will follow the kobold and take care of it. If it is still your prisoner, it can lead us back to its clan. Once we are there, we can decide how to handle them."
"Hey, someone ask the kobold if he wants us to give these gems back. Cause it'll be a cold day in hell when that happens, I promise you that. Those other rocks, I don't care about."
Big Ern takes his own assessment of the "rocks", to double-check that they're not worth much.
Appraise: 1d20+8
Know (nature): 1d20+8
"Heh. I agree; the spoils of the battle are ours. He can have his statue and his life; I think that's probably enough. I say back to Oleg's; we can follow up with the lizards later."
Xanda sighs softly,
"Here we go again..." She mutters, "So, who is going straight back to Olegs and who is going with Kardok?" She asks.
"All of us can return to Olegs. I'll just take a short detour and meet you there."
Kardok doesn't seem to particularly care for the gems. When asked, he says the Kobolds didn't have them, the Mites must have gotten them some other way.
Kardok wants the statuette and the silver-rocks, but is only adamant about the statue.
Taking the silver-ore from Branomonrik, Big Ern estimates they contain about 16 pounds of silver in them in total, which would be worth 80gp.
While the explorers talk amongst themselves, the Kobold packs what little possesions he has, including the ivory statue of his god. He looks to Big Ern assessing the glittering rocks, waiting for a decission.
Packing things up after the interruption at night, Devlin, Delfey and Taras are out to exploration duty. While navigating the surroundings, marking interesting things on a preliminary map, Delfey points out a group of people sitting by a lonesome tree.
Xanda sighs softly,
"Here we go again..." She mutters, "So, who is going straight back to Olegs and who is going with Kardok?" She asks.
"I'll go with Kardock." Majet pipes up.
Branomonrik Nods " Yes I say we go with him, besides Might be interesting to see just where these rocks of his come from correct?
Wheels start moving in Big Ern's head as he thinks about the silver vein that the kobolds have access to.
"Yeah, let's return our little buddy to his home."
To Taras, "Do you recognize them?"
"All of us can return to Olegs. I'll just take a short detour and meet you there."
Agerron also thinks of the silver, his eyes glinting along with Ern's. "Very well. Let's get him back to the other iguanas."
Branomonrik nods at Erns and Agerron's change of stance "Adabar brings the potential to your minds does he? That is good, Adabar brings civilization and civilization brings wealth to those willing to build, and to those who take advantage of resources when they are found." he lets his eyes linger upon the kobold "And a the wise know resources come in many forms. You just need to know the best way to use them.'
Taras looks up, then says to Devlin: "Hard to tell at this distance... also I hardly know every bandit there is in these lands. Could be..."
----------------
Having packed things up, the group rides out to the south, led by Kardok again.
Some hours of riding later, a cliff of sorts looks like it's going to be the journeys end.
Coming closer, the cliffs face is about 40ft. high, several cracks running from the bottom up. Near one such opening is a small wooden cage (made of sticks and branches) placed, in which a single sobbing Mite is held captive. Close by is also some sort of sign, it's words faded and unable to read from the distance.
Why not give him 4 or 5 and we keep the rest?